Sam Costanilla
Spotlight

MOVIE. There’s a movie that we should not miss when it starts its nationwide screening on Wednesday, Dec. 2. It tells a very nice yet thought-provoking story about life and living. No less than the film producer herself texted me to inform the public that Biyaheng Lupa is a must-see movie. My Manila-based friend, Cebuana lawyer Joji Alonso of Quantum Films, added that Biyaheng Lupa is the directorial debut of Bing Lao who wrote Minsan Pa, which was filmed in Cebu a few years back. To recall, Minsan Pa had Ara Mina and Jomari Yllana as the lead stars along with a number of Cebuano talents appearing in minor roles.

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COMEDY. Alonso also informed me that next year, she will produce her first commercial, mainstream movie (no title yet), a comedy written by Chris Martinez. He also wrote Kimmy Dora, a film starred by actress Eugene Dominggo. According to Alonso, the upcoming film will star Anne Curtis and Domingo.

I hope our film producer-friend will also order the director to shoot some scenes in Cebu and get some of our talented personalities here to appear in this comedy. That way, some of Cebu’s beautiful spots will also be seen in the movie.

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SONG. Another good friend of mine has written a song titled Gasa sa Gugma as his way of expressing his love and support for the victims of typhoon Ondoy, a natural calamity that shocked the country. Ireland-based songwriter Dennis Martin sent an e-mail, saying that it is his dream to have this song interpreted by local talents, in the tradition of We Are The World, during the Cebu Popular Music Festival’s pearl anniversary in January next year.

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ANNIVERSARY. It was a fun-filled evening at Zao Restobar in Guadalupe when Sakdap, Cebu’s only all-male quartet, marked their 20th anniversary recently. Gani Villarojo, Irving Guazon, Josil Marino and Henry Jabonero and their respective families were around to mark the occasion attended by Sakdap’s loyal supporters and friends. The quartet’s version of some novelty songs, particularly Unang Pagtan-aw Kog Sine and Si Felimon, were truly delightful and amazing. It’s about time for Sakdap to stage another concert after years of hibernation. I’m sure the Cebuanos would be eager to watch them perform again onstage.

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JOKES. Veteran broadcaster Max Andrino, a.k.a. Daloydoy LKK, and yours truly did some standup comedy during the party. Our jokes were simple but they also delighted the partygoers.

However, it was novelty singer Max Surban’s solo performance that brought the house down. He has proven that he is still the country’s top novelty singer. Anyway, I wish Sakdap more years in the business of entertaining the public.

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WONDERFUL. A recent trip to the United Arab Emirates State of Abu Dhabi gave me the chance to visit one of its top attractions called Tiara. The attractive tower is dubbed as Abu Dhabi’s Crowning Glory. This writer dined in the tower’s revolving restaurant together with Nina Mabatid, chief executive officer of Pinoycare Visa Center (PVC), and Dr. Parvez Gondal, president of the California-based United Staffing Solutions Inc. Also with us were PVC staff Adil Semense and Aldrin Alsoc. We were in Abu Dhabi to conduct an orientation of the company’s visa assistance program for those who want to go to Canada for good. I was the orientation emcee.

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PANORAMIC. Tiara offers the only panoramic view of the city and gives the public a unique dining experience. High above the shoreline of Abu Dhabi, in the heart of its landmark Burj Al Marina Tower, sits the region’s first-ever five-star revolving restaurant. With a fusion of Mediterranean and Western cuisines, Tiara’s menu has been perfected by internationally renowned chefs. From our location, we enjoyed the views of the Arabian Gulf, Emirates Palace and Corniche at 126 meters above ground level. At least four of Tiara’s service attendants are Filipinos. This writer visited Abu Dhabi’s largest mosque, which is an architectural wonder. I will write a full report on this next Monday.

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BROADCASTERS. Two broadcasters who fiercely attacked the owner of a local radio station have casually (as if nothing happened) asked him for a chance to handle a program again in his outfit but the owner told them to pay for the airtime. (E-mail: samcost@yahoo.com or call/text 09053434545)